BIOS

The Canadian Press
Published Friday, October 26, 2012 6:29AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, October 26, 2012 1:32PM EDT

HALIFAX -- A 77-year-old woman dubbed the "Black Widow" who is charged with trying to murder her husband has waived her right to a bail hearing.

Crown prosecutor Diane McGrath said Melissa Ann Weeks appeared in Sydney provincial court Friday via a video link from a jail in Halifax, where she was ordered to remain in custody until Nov. 21 for a possible plea.

Defence lawyer Michael Kuna said his client decided to waive bail because she would prefer to go to the next step in the trial process.

"She wants to ... deal with the charges as expeditiously as possible," he said in a phone interview.

Weeks was charged earlier this month with attempted murder and administering a noxious thing after 75-year-old Fred Weeks fell ill at a Sydney bed and breakfast.

Fred Weeks has said they had a wedding on Sept. 25, but their marriage was not certified.

Court documents say Weeks has also gone by the last names of Shepard or Stewart.

She was previously convicted of manslaughter in the 1991 death of another husband.

Kuna said a senior lawyer with Nova Scotia Legal Aid, Allan Nicholson, will take over her defence.

Photos

Melissa Ann Weeks, of New Glasgow, N.S., also known as the 'Internet Black Widow,' leaves a Cape Breton Regional Police Services vehicle for a court appearance at the Sydney Justice Centre, Tuesday, Oct.2, 2012. (Vaughan Merchant / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Melissa Ann Weeks, 77, of New Glasgow, N.S., also known as the Internet Black Widow, leaving provincial court from a bail hearing at the Sydney Justice Centre in Sydney, N.S. on Friday, Oct.11, 2012. (Murdock Smith / THE CANADIAN PRESS)